Crescent buys DESCO

Crescent Electric Supply Co., East Dubuque, Ill., expanded its operations into Tennessee with the purchase of DESCO, Inc., Nashville. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

Jerry Scott, former president of Crescent Electric Supply, is coming out of retirement and returning to Crescent as branch manager of the DESCO operations, with responsibility for operations and sales functions. Scott left Crescent at the end of 1993 for personal reasons. He said he is returning to manage DESCO because he felt he was "ready for a challenge and an opportunity to be part of the growth process."

DESCO, with locations in Nashville and Murfreesboro, Tenn., is the 227th largest electrical distributor in the country, with 54 employees and 1996 sales of approximately $24 million. Crescent Electric Supply is the nation's 12th largest electrical distributor.

Henry Dorris, who founded DESCO with his former partner, John D. Harris, in 1969, said he is selling the company to pursue personal interests.